UPSC Key: Exit polls in India, El Niño Southern Oscillation and Heatwaves

Key Points to Ponder:

• What are the constitutional framework governing assembly elections in India?

• Why assembly elections in some states like West Bengal are often conducted in multiple phases?

• What are the administrative and security considerations involved in conducting elections in multiple phases?

• What is voter turnout?

• West Bengal recorded its highest ever turnout in the 2026 Assembly election-what are the reasons?

• What happens once the polling is over?

• How Vote is Counted after polling?

• Who is responsible for counting the votes?

• Where does the counting take place?

• What is a strongroom?

• What is the role of central armed police forces in elections?

• What are the challenges posed by voter behaviour, political mobilisation, and electoral competition in state elections?

• What is the roll of Observer during election process?

• What are exit polls?

• What are opinion polls?

• What are the rules governing exit polls in India?

Key Takeaways:

• In a video message posted on social media, Banerjee rejected the exit poll projections, saying they had been aired on the “instruction of the BJP” to “demoralise” TMC workers and said her party would cross 226 seats in the House of 294.

• Banerjee alleged that the Central forces and police officers from other states whom the Election Commission had deployed as observers “beat up” people and TMC workers. “Even women and children were not spared. I was awake for two nights as they (Central forces) raided the homes of our workers and leaders. Many of our workers have been arrested so that they cannot be our agents on polling day,” she said.

Do You Know:

• The number or percentage of eligible voters who cast votes is known as voter turnout. While low turnout is linked to voter indifference and distrust of the political system, high turnout is a sign of democracy’s vitality.
—The ECI currently has as many as 40 different apps and portals for various internal and public services, including for electoral roll management, candidate affidavits, voter turnout, and results.
On May 4, 2025, the Commission announced that it would launch a new app, ECINET, in which all existing apps would be subsumed. This was among the initiatives launched after Gyanesh Kumar took charge as Chief Election Commissioner in February 2025.
—The new system allows each presiding officer to directly enter the turnout figures into the ECINET app every two hours. Through the app, the turnout for the constituency will be calculated automatically and displayed for the public.

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• The ECI’s procedure for handling EVMs before, during and after polling is laid out in its Manual on Electronic Voting Machines, 2023.

• Before the election, EVMs are stored in a warehouse under the control of the District Election Officer (DEO), who is the District Magistrate. Once elections are underway, the EVMs are randomised in the presence of representatives of national and state-recognised parties and sent to the respective strongrooms in each Assembly constituency.
—The entire process is to be conducted under 24/7 CCTV coverage, the manual says. The strongrooms also have armed security. It is from these strongrooms that the EVMs are dispatched to the polling booths.

• After polls close on voting day, the EVMs are to be sealed and escorted back to the strongrooms by the poll officials and security personnel. Candidates and their polling agents usually follow the vehicles carrying the polled EVMs from the booths to the strongrooms. The manual says all polled EVMs should be stored in one strongroom and unused EVMs in a separate strongroom marked “reserve EVM”.

• According to ECI Website, Observers (General, Police and Expenditure) are appointed by the Commission to keep watch on complete election process. They are supposed to interact with candidates as well as general public to ensure smooth, transparent and error-free election. Observers send various reports to the Commission time-to-time and also have face-to face interaction through video-conference. Commission takes crucial decisions during an election process on the basis of various inputs including Observers’. During Counting also, the Counting Observer appointed by the Commission oversee the complete Counting Process till the announcement of result.

• An exit poll asks voters which political party they are supporting after they have cast their votes in an election. In this, it differs from an opinion poll, which is held before the elections. An exit poll is supposed to give an indication of which way the winds are blowing in an election, along with the issues, personalities, and loyalties that have influenced voters.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Exit polls and why they are restricted by the panel: All your questions answered

📍Mamata’s tampering charge: What happens to EVMs, postal ballots between polling day and counting?

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
1) Right to vote and to be elected in India is a (UPSC CSE, 2017)
(a) Fundamental Right
(b) Natural Right
(c) Constitutional Right
(d) Legal Right

2) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2017)
1. In the election for Lok Sabha or State Assembly, the winning candidate must get at least 50 percent of the votes polled, to be declared elected.
2. According to the provisions laid down in the Constitution of India, in Lok Sabha, the Speaker’s post goes to the majority party and the Deputy Speaker’s to the Opposition.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

NATION

MHA updates citizenship rules, tightens norms on dual passports for minors

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

What’s the ongoing story: The Union Home Ministry on Thursday notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, introducing electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) cards, fully online applications, and stricter norms on dual passports for minors.

Key Points to Ponder:

• The Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026-what are the key highlights?

• What is electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) cards?

• What is the rationality behind Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026?

• What is meant by Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)?

• Who are Person of Indian Origin (PIO)

• What is the difference between OCI and person of Indian origin?

• What were the Indian ideas and rules of citizenship in the Constitution?

• Who are ‘Citizens’?

• Citizens and Aliens-compare and contrast in terms of civil and political rights

• What are those rights and privileges that the Constitution of India confers on the citizens of India and denies the same to aliens?

• The Citizenship Act of 1955 prescribes five ways of acquiring citizenship-Know them in detail

• The Citizenship Act, 1955, prescribes three ways of losing citizenship-What are they?

Key Takeaways:

• “The rules introduce a fully digital OCI framework, mandating online applications, electronic records, and acknowledgements, while phasing out duplicative physical processes. A new provision allows issuance of electronic OCI (e-OCI) alongside physical cards, signalling a shift toward paperless identity for overseas Indians. Applicants must now consent to sharing biometric data for integration with fast-track immigration programmes, enabling possible automatic enrolment in the future,” an MHA official said.

• An MHA official said the new rules aim to streamline procedures, reduce paperwork, and bringing more clarity to processes such as registration, renunciation, and cancellation of OCI status. Earlier, OCI processes involved a mix of online and physical submissions, including paperwork and duplicate filing requirements. Now, they also formally codify certain provisions that were earlier followed in practice, but not explicitly written into the rules.

• A major update mandates that minors holding Indian passports cannot simultaneously possess passports of other countries, as inserted in a new proviso to rule 3 and this addresses concerns over dual citizenship misuse, though OCI status itself does not confer full citizenship rights.

• “These rules may be called the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026. They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. In the Citizenship Rules, 2009 (hereinafter referred to as the said rules), in rule 3, the following proviso shall be inserted, namely: Provided that the applicant in such cases shall note that the minor child cannot at any time hold the passport of any other country while also holding the Indian passport,” the notification said.

• According to the notification, an application for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India cardholder under section 7A shall be made in Form XXVIII electronically on the designated online portal. “For OCI registration under Section 7A, applications must now be filed electronically in Form XXVIII on the designated portal, scrapping physical duplicates (Rule 29). Rule 33 has been revamped to issue either physical OCI cards or e-OCI registrations in Form XXIX, with records maintained digitally in Form XXX,” it said.

• The amendments create a centralised electronic registry of OCI holders and strengthen cancellation/renunciation processes, including provisions for deemed cancellation and structured appeals.

Do You Know:

• Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely. It allows the cardholders a lifetime entry to the country along with benefits such as being able to own real estate and make other investments in the country.

• Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) are both foreign nationals with Indian ancestry, but OCI is a superior, lifelong status that replaced the PIO card scheme in 2015. OCI cardholders enjoy permanent residency, multiple-entry lifelong visas, and economic parity with NRIs, excluding voting and certain public employment rights

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍How citizenship was decided by makers of Indian Constitution

📍This word means: OCI (Overseas Citizen of India)

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
3) With reference to India, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE, 2021)
1. There is only one citizenship and one domicile.
2. A citizen by birth only can become the Head of State.
3. A foreigner once granted the citizenship cannot be deprived of it under any circumstances.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:
📍”Right of movement and residence throughout the territory of India are freely available to the Indian citizens, but these rights are not absolute.” Comment. (2022)

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Likely below-normal monsoon is a warning: India must heed water stress

Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

What’s the ongoing story: V Anantha Nageswaran, M Ravichandran Writes- Civilisations have flourished and perished because of water. India has been witness to that itself. Therefore, we will be doing ourselves a big favour if we do not treat water conservation and management as an avoidable luxury but as an existential necessity.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What exactly the India Meteorological Department said for the coming monsoon season?

• What is El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)?

• What is El Niño?

• What is La Niña?

• How El Niño Southern Oscillation affects monsoon?

• What you understand by the “negative correlation between the Eurasian snow cover and the rainfall in the subsequent monsoon season”?

• What is Indian Ocean Dipole?

• What is Super ENSO phenomenon? How it is different from El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)?

• “Civilisations have flourished and perished because of water”-Decode the quote

• What is circular water-economy mission?

• What is ‘water-stressed country’?

• Is India a water-stressed country?

Key Takeaways:

• On April 13, the India Meteorological Department issued its first update for the coming monsoon season. The monsoon season is expected to be mostly below normal. The probability of it being even above normal to excess is almost ruled out. More importantly, many of the rainfall districts will face below-normal rain. Very few areas of the country will receive normal to above-normal rainfall.

• This is mainly due to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effect. El Niño and La Niña are two weather patterns that occur in the Pacific Ocean. They are part of a larger climate phenomenon called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Both have significant effects on global weather, influencing rainfall and temperatures. El Niño typically leads to reduced monsoon rainfall, while La Niña tends to strengthen the monsoon.

• ENSO is expected to set in, in June. But the effect will begin to be felt in July. So, the current expectation is that ENSO will have its effect in the second half of the monsoon season rather than the full monsoon. However, as we write this, ENSO is developing rapidly in the Pacific. It may occur even earlier.

• A couple of other minor consolations are the negative correlation between the Northern Hemisphere or Eurasian snow cover and the rainfall in the subsequent monsoon season. Between January and March 2026, Eurasian snow cover was below normal. That augurs better for the precipitation during the monsoon season. Of course, that has been factored into the seasonal forecast. Second, the IOD — Indian Ocean Dipole — counterpart to ENSO, but in the Indian Ocean, will also be counteracting the effect of ENSO on India’s Southwest Monsoon. But IOD is expected to have its effect only in the second half of the monsoon season. This has already been factored into the rainfall assessment.

• Another minor relief is that the Super ENSO phenomenon, which has an even greater impact on the monsoon rainfall, is setting in much after India’s monsoon season officially ends. So, India’s rainfall will not be much impacted by the Super ENSO. It is expected that this year’s ENSO phenomenon will have a bigger impact on Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Australia. The ENSO effect usually lasts nine to 12 months.

• Barely a month before the IMD released its monsoon update, three experts published their book on water. They were not shy of sounding
dire. Parameswaran Iyer, Arunabha Ghosh and Richard Damania, in their book Water, Nature and Progress: Solutions for a New India, call for a circular water-economy mission that treats used water as a resource rather than a liability, with realistic targets and financing models.

• India reuses only 3 per cent of its treated used water, while cities like Singapore meet 40 per cent of their water demand through reuse. The mission proposes staggered targets — 50 per cent treatment capacity by 2028, 100 per cent by 2035, 50 per cent reuse by 2035 — along with a framework for public-private partnerships that draws on successful models from Surat, Thane, Taiwan and Jordan.

Do You Know:

• El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)—The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a periodic, natural fluctuation in tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures (SST) and atmospheric pressure occurring every 2–7 years. It alternates between three phases—El Niño (warm), La Niña (cold), and Neutral—significantly influencing global weather, agriculture, and ecosystems.

• El Niño and La Nina—El Niño is characterized by warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It’s one of three states scientists observe; La Niña, conversely, happens when sea surface temperatures are below average, and neutral conditions are defined when neither El Niño or La Niña are present and surface temperatures are about average.

• Negative correlation between the Eurasian snow cover and the rainfall— A negative correlation exists where high Eurasian snow cover in winter/spring leads to reduced subsequent Indian monsoon rainfall, as increased snow keeps the continent cold, weakening the required thermal contrast for a strong monsoon. Conversely, low snow cover, as observed in early 2026, predicts better rainfall, although this teleconnection has weakened since 1990.

• Super ENSO phenomenon— A “super” El Niño just means one that is stronger. These are rare events typically defined by sea surface temperatures spiking up by at least 2C. This has only occurred a few times since 1950 and only once have temperatures surged past 2.5C.

• Circular water-economy mission— A circular water-economy mission aims to transition from linear “take-make-dispose” water usage to a closed-loop system, treating wastewater as a resource for reuse, recycling, and nutrient recovery. It seeks to maximize efficiency, reduce freshwater stress, and build climate resilience by treating, purifying, and reusing water for industrial, agricultural, and urban purposes.

• Water-stressed country—Water-stressed countries are nations where the demand for water exceeds the available renewable supply, or where poor quality restricts its use. It occurs when a country withdraws 25% or more of its renewable freshwater resources, with over 80% indicating extreme stress. This causes significant water shortages, affecting economic, agricultural, and human needs.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Monsoon likely to be below-average this year, but flood threat stands: Here’s why

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
4) With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)’ sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC CSE, 2018)
1. IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.
2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an EI Nino’s impact on the monsoon.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

5) La Nina is suspected to have caused recent floods in Australia. How is La Nina different from EI Nino? (UPSC CSE, 2011)
1. La Nina is characterized by un¬usually cold ocean temperature in equatorial Indian ocean whereas EI Nino is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperature in the equatorial pacific ocean.
2. EI Nino has adverse effect on south¬west monsoon of India, but La Nina has no effect on monsoon climate.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

NATION

Could it have too many tigers? Why MP faces this question & what are the answers

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

What’s the ongoing story: Partly thanks to its tiger recovery rate outpacing the national average over the last decade, Madhya Pradesh now faces a unique problem: Could it have too many tigers? With the numbers pushing the 1,000-mark, the state has approached the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to assess how many tigers its forests can hold.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Why Madhya Pradesh has approached the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII)?

• What is carrying capacity in wildlife conservation?

• Why Madhya Pradesh is asking questions like “how many tigers its forests can hold”?

• Map Work-Sariska Tiger Reserve

• ‘The 2004 wipe-out of tigers in the Sariska Tiger Reserve’-what you know about the same?

• What are the reasons behind rising tiger population in Madhya Pradesh?

• Know the ecological challenges of increasing tiger density.

• The success and challenges of Project Tiger-brainstorm

• What strategies should be followed for managing surplus wildlife population?

Key Takeaways:

• Following a slew of reforms triggered by the Sariska Wipeout in 2004, tiger numbers have been rising nationally. According to quadrennial estimation reports, India’s tiger numbers increased by 65% between 2014 and 2022, from 2,226 to 3,682. In the same period, Madhya Pradesh saw a 155% jump, from 308 to 785. The trend, say state officials, has held good since.

• But more tigers also means more conflict. Across India, the number of people killed by tigers increased from 224 during 2014-2019 to 418 in the next six-year cycle of 2020-2025 – a rise of 87%.

• Madhya Pradesh has fared better than conflict hotspots of Maharashtra (Tadoba) or Uttar Pradesh (Pilibhit). But retaliatory killings of tigers by electrocution to avenge loss of livestock, along with attacks on humans, are on the rise, prompting the uncomfortable question: how many tigers are too many for Madhya Pradesh.

• With other factors, such as availability of water, absence of poaching etc, remaining unchanged, the size of a forest’s tiger population depends on the availability of prey animals, says Dr Rajesh Gopal, former chief of Project Tiger and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

• In the simplest of calculations, it’s the total annually replenishable biomass of prey species divided by a tiger’s annual feed requirement. Prey animals differ in weight but a ballpark estimate shows that a prey base of around 350 ungulates (hoofed animals) is required to sustain a single tiger.

• “Since X number of prey can sustain only Y number of tigers, surplus tigers will either die fighting one another; or, more likely, be pushed out to the buffer areas or disperse – ideally to other forest areas – especially in the case of males,” says wildlife biologist Milind Pariwakam. “When such tigers succeed, they re-colonise new areas. Or they die trying.”

• Rapid development of road, rail and irrigation infrastructure, coupled with large-scale mining and deforestation, have broken much of central India’s forest connectivity. The result: the ‘surplus’ tigers cannot move safely between forests, leaving them exposed to people and situations of conflict.

Do You Know:

• The 2004 disappearance of all tigers from Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve, widely reported at the time, marked the first local extinction of a tiger population in India due to poaching, which was largely attributed to organised gangs. The crisis prompted a national review of tiger conservation and eventually led to successful reintroduction efforts starting in 2008.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: The history of Supreme Court orders against illegal mining in Sariska reserve

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
6) Consider the following protected areas: (UPSC CSE, 2012)
1. Bandipur
2. Bhitarkanika
3. Manas
4. Sunderbans
Which of the above are declared Tiger Reserves?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

EXPLAINED

One heatwave is over, but more may be on the way

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

What’s the ongoing story: Light to moderate rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday brought an end to a week-long spell of heatwaves in most parts of north and central India, the first of the season. And another heatwave spell is unlikely for the next two weeks at least, according to the latest forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is a heat wave?

• What are the causes of heatwaves?

• Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) criteria for Heat Waves?

• What is the present situation of Heat Waves in India?

• Is heatwave a national disaster?

• Why is India facing a prolonged heat wave?

• What is the Impact of these Heat Waves?

• What is an ‘urban heat island’ effect?

• Why are cities hotter than rural areas?

• What is the socio-economic and health impacts of extreme heat events?

• Know India’s preparedness in adapting to rising temperatures and extreme heat events.

• What is the role of urban planning in mitigating heat stress and ensuring climate resilience?

Key Takeaways:

• But that might only be a temporary relief. There are indications that the temperatures might remain high this year, not just in the summer months but even extending into the monsoon season, and thereafter. That may mean several such spells of heatwaves could be possible in the coming months.

• With rainfall expected to be a little subdued, particularly during the second half of the monsoon season, India could be facing prolonged periods of intense heat this year.

• The southern peninsular India, as well as the northeastern part, have so far remained largely unaffected by heatwaves, though long-term climate projections suggest that this might not remain the case in the future. A 2023 report by IMD on heatwaves and cold waves cited studies that have suggested that southern India could be experiencing severe heatwaves by the end of this century. These studies also suggest heatwaves have been becoming more frequent and intense in the last half century, and their average duration is also on the rise.

Do You Know:

• Summers have always been very warm in most parts of India, but heatwaves are very specific conditions defined by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). If the maximum temperature of a place gets at least 5℃ higher than normal, and this condition is reached at least two days in succession, the place is said to be experiencing a heatwave. If the temperature gets warmer than normal by 7℃, a severe heatwave is declared.

• A few other things are factored in before declaring a heatwave, particularly whether the place is located in plains or mountains and whether its normal temperature is below 40℃ or higher. But the main idea is the same. Heatwave is a condition where the temperature of the place gets unusually, and uncomfortably, higher than the normal. The thresholds defined by IMD are specific to India and are not universal definitions of heatwave.

• Heatwaves in India occur mainly during the March to June period, though sometimes they do extend further into the monsoon season as well. In 2023, some parts of the country experienced heatwave conditions even in February, a month in which there is not even a provision to declare a heatwave.

• There are two areas where heatwaves are common in India: one, the northwestern and central part extending into Bihar and Jharkhand, which is known as the core heatwave zone; and two, the eastern coast comprising Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The physical mechanisms causing heatwaves in these two areas are different, though related.

• In the core zone, heatwaves are caused mainly by persistent high-pressure conditions in the upper atmosphere that force the air to sink downward. This sinking leads to compression of the air, warming it significantly. Over Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, heatwaves are primarily a result of the prevention of the normal sea-breezes from coming over to the land by unusual westerly or northwesterly winds blowing from the hot landmass in north and central India.

• In general, the frequency and intensity of heatwaves is higher in the core zone, though historically, both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have reported a disproportionately large number of heatwave-related deaths. On an average, a heatwave lasts between 4 and 8 days.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Amid growing heatwaves, how India protects its heat-exposed populace 

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
7) What are the possible limitations of India in mitigating global warming at present and in the immediate future? (UPSC CSE, 2010)
1. Appropriate alternate technologies are not sufficiently available.
2. India cannot invest huge funds in research and development.
3. Many developed countries have already set up their polluting industries in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:
📍Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world. (2013)

Why SC is looking at the way brain death is certified

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it will seek expert opinion from AIIMS doctors on whether there is a need to conduct tests such as electroencephalogram (EEG) and angiogram to declare someone brain dead.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is brain death?

• Why do we need to declare people brain dead?

• What is the protocol followed for declaring brain death?

• What is EEG and angiogram? What does it tell us?

• What are the challenges in brain death certification?

Key Takeaways:

• The two-judge bench, hearing a case on alleged malpractices in brain death certification by Kerala-based medic and activist S Ganapathy, said that it will ask the head of AIIMS’s neurology department to constitute a committee to provide its views on the safety and viability of these tests.

• Ganapathy alleged that patients who may not be brain dead are declared so to facilitate organ donation. He added that the current apnea test done to certify brain death can be subjective and the legal mandate requiring that the test be videographed is not followed often.

• Brain death, also referred to as brain stem death, is an irreversible condition where all activities of the brain, including automatic functions such as breathing controlled by the brain stem, cease. The patient continues to survive — and breathe — with the help of life support systems such as ventilators. These patients, most of whom have suffered severe injuries in road accidents and falls that cut off oxygen supply to the brain, are for all intents dead and cannot be revived.

Do You Know:

• Declaration and certification of brain death is essential for deceased organ donation, where organs and tissues such as kidney, liver, heart, and eyes are donated to undisclosed, unrelated recipients. While India is a global leader when it comes to the absolute number of transplant surgeries, most of these are conducted using organs donated by living relatives.

• The current guidelines by the apex regulator National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) requires a four-member board — including the hospital in-charge, a neurologist or neurosurgeon, and the treating physician — to declare that a patient’s brain function has irreversibly ceased at least twice with an interval of 12 hours.

• An EEG test essentially looks for the electrical signals in the brain using several small electrodes attached to the head. For a brain dead patient, this test would show that there is no electrical activity in the brain. An angiogram, on the other hand, uses contrast dyes and X-rays to check the blood flow in the brain. For a brain dead patient, this test would show that the blood flow to the brain has stopped.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Supreme Court to review ‘brain death’ tests amid organ harvesting fears

How Ambedkar laid the foundations of India’s modern labour legislation

Preliminary Examination: Indian National Movement

 Main Examination: General Studies I: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.

What’s the ongoing story: As the Labour Member in the Viceroy’s Executive Council (1942-46), B R Ambedkar introduced a slew of pathbreaking legislation for labour welfare. This experience was eventually reflected in the making of the Constitution.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Personality in News— Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

• Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s legacy transcends his role as a constitution-maker—Discuss

• How Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s ideas on social justice, caste, and democracy are relevant to contemporary India.

• The term “Constitutional Morality” as espoused by Ambedkar emphasizes what?

• What are the key elements of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s social philosophy?

• Know the role of B. R. Ambedkar in shaping labour rights in India.

• Labour reforms during colonial India-know the historical background

• What was the significance of Ambedkar’s tenure as Labour Member?

Key Takeaways:

• Bhimrao “Babasaheb” Ambedkar, known as the architect of India’s Constitution and the first Union Law Minister of independent India, began his political journey by organising the Independent Labour Party to address the issues of the labouring classes in colonial India. But he was not concerned only with the material conditions of labour. He wanted to go beyond survival. For him, labour must be able to live a life of self-development of their human, cultural and spiritual personalities.

• In 1942, as the call for Independence was steadily gaining momentum and the vision of a “New India” was being widely discussed, Ambedkar had already begun laying the foundations of modern India. Nearly a month before the launch of the Quit India movement, Ambedkar was appointed as the Labour Member in the Viceroy’s Executive Council, where he introduced a slew of pathbreaking legislation for the welfare of labour or the working classes.

• This included reduction of working hours from 12 hours to 8 hours, maternity benefit for women workers, provident fund for finers, paid leave and dearness allowance, compulsory recognition of trade unions, housing and medical facilities for workers, creation of employment exchanges, employee state insurance, and many more.

Do You Know:

• Ambedkar’s experience as the Labour Member (1942-46) is reflected even in the making of the Constitution, particularly on the provisions related to Labour. For instance, through Article 39, the Constitution directs the State to design policies to ensure “adequate means to livelihood for all its citizens, and equal pay for equal work for both men and women”.

• Through Article 43, it directs the State “to secure, by suitable legislation or economic organisation or in any other way, to all workers, agricultural, industrial or otherwise, work, a living wage, conditions of work ensuring a decent standard of life and full enjoyment of leisure and social and cultural opportunities”.

• In the colonial era, particularly after the two World Wars, industrialisation began to expand its footprint in the Global South, including nations under imperial rule. Although still in its early stages, it was already pushing vast masses out of agrarian, feudal set-ups into a labour-driven capitalist economy.

• This was also a time when little to no attention was given to the interests of labour, on the assumption that early industrialisation could not afford to accommodate labour rights. Against this backdrop, Ambedkar’s contributions to labour legislation marked a watershed moment for the Indian labour movement. During his tenure as Labour Member, India set important benchmarks in labour rights and moved towards meeting global standards for protections that workers are entitled to.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍A MEMORY AND A PROMISE

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
8) Which of the following parties were established by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar? (UPSC CSE, 2012)
1. The Peasants and Workers Party of India
2. All India Scheduled Castes Federation
3. The Independent Labour Party
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
📍Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, despite having divergent approaches and strategies, had a common goal of amelioration of the downtrodden. Elucidate. (2015)

 

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1.(c)  2.(d)  3.(a)  4.(b)  5.(d) 6.(b)  7.(a)  8.(b)

  

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